Monthly Archives: October 2017

Today’s story is a process, ever evolving rather than any strongly held view. My Elements sculpture series prototypes lean on the instinctual purity of tribal patterns etched on clear surfaces that allows the environment to combine naturally to the overriding narrative. Why tribal art? Emotions come filtered through culture and conventions but basic instincts are universal. The realism of what the viewer perceives through the transparent surface combined with indigenous and consumer designs and patterns represent a new reality which is a reflection of the viewer’s perception rather than the preconception of the artist. Click on image to view the rest of “The Evolving Gardener”.

These sculpture pieces, “The Evolving Gardener“, occupy a 3-D space easily because of their transparency with a small footprint. The Coca Cola script, now a familiar part of global consumerism resonates to one and all. My works based on the 2 word element of the logo along with the hand drawn typography takes advantage of the pithy expression while repurporposing the ubiquitous phenomenon at play! In essence my work is an anti-intellectual commentary in keeping with the consumer culture that drives a deeper meaning in a consumer-friendly package devoid of erudite pretenses. The bourgeoisie is the new thinker, the majority choices weaving the words of the new narrative lending an elevated authenticity to the collective outlook generated organically as opposed to an ivory tower observation prone to subjective biases, presenting an aggregate viewpoint at best.

The Evolving Gardener Series of Sculpture

The Evolving Gardener Series of Sculpture

Bird of Prey, sculpture

Elements – I, sculpture
The Evolving Gardener Series of Sculpture

The Evolving Gardener Series of Sculpture

The Evolving Gardener Series of Sculpture

Perfect Claws, sculpture
The Evolving Gardener Series of Sculpture

The Evolving Gardener Series of Sculpture

Heart Root, sculpture

Today’s story is a process, ever evolving rather than any strongly held view. My Elements sculpture series prototypes lean on the instinctual purity of tribal patterns etched on clear surfaces that allows the environment to combine naturally to the overriding narrative. Why tribal art? Emotions come filtered through culture and conventions but basic instincts are universal. The realism of what the viewer catches a glimpse of through the transparent surface combined with indigenous and consumer designs and pattern represents a new reality which is a reflection of the viewer’s perception rather than the preconception of the artist.

In the age of mechanical reproduction, photography is an immediate medium for an expression, even though it may be used for Accurate representation it may be used with a degree of ambiguity for surrealistic effects or in a completely abstract way.
“Looking Close, Seeing Far” is the story of a place and its people told over hundreds of years…even when taken out of context, they retain their characteristics!

The contemporary artist today may act a little like a rebel without a cause at times…it is not to say that there’s a dearth of issues in the world. It may just be an overwhelming number of issues that need addressing that is confusing coupled with the fast process of democratization of the icon…about Mona Lisa, when Duchamp drew the mustache on Mona Lisa it was a great act of subversion for its time. In 2012 when Androgyny was envisioned there wasn’t a plethora of deviant art representations of Mona Lisa with various hairdos and outfits! Androgyny was depicted with the body of Michelangelo’s David and Mona Lisa’s face with the oh so well-known languid expression complete with a mustache and a goatee. His bare body is embraced by a pair of arms resonating those of Mona Lisa’s in the essence posture as opposed to the original David who had his kill slung over his shoulder. Androgyny holds up a beer bottle cheering the absurdity of it all!

Subodh Gupta’s black Mona Lisa bust with a mustache and goatee was in Frieze 2017. The bust, devoid of the intricate ethereal background of Mona Lisa’s painted portrait and the moustache done to death already. It is humbling to remember the words of Warhole, “nothing is original anymore”. While it makes no sense to shame and blame the contemporary artist for plagiarism it is still important that a meaningful work of art bears within it a narrative that is expressed in a new and unexpected way even if it’s been said before.

On the topic of Mona Lisa, Jogen Chowdhury’s rendition was typical of his intrinsic style. He made her hungry, with a dark sense of humor! Although fully recognizable in its iconic presence, this woman is somehow wizened either from aging as the sagging bosom indicates…the saffron on the part of her hair tells of her married status, the smile somewhat jaded yet self-assured. Regardless of what the artist’s own imagination might have conjured, the painting in an unmistakably Jogen Chowdhury style maintains enough ambiguity to capture or even seduce speculation from an audience – something sadly missing in the black bust.

Highly suggestive forms recurring throughout Bourgeois’ works are potential visual metaphors that might have found their way into her works from her own childhood days subject to incest. Curvilinear lines, organic shapes, seeds, roots, opening flowers hint to parts of the body. The spider that catches bothersome mosquitoes is called “a friend” perhaps a symbol of her mother or maternal figure.

In her portraits, often a combination of the real and surreal, Bourgeois treated the human figure as a vehicle to be in touch with her fears desires and vulnerabilities. Child birth, motherhood, gender fluidity are topics she explores in her works. She saw psychological correspondences in elements such as wind storm and rivers, seeds and germination.

What is “Bindass” one might ask? It is the quality of effortless spontaneity. It is the humor in her works that faces the truth with mild detachment which is perhaps the most attractive element of Bourgeois’ work! Having dealt with taboos in her own life, she is the rare woman who deals with sexuality with disarming, albeit slightly comical candidness. In other words, Bourgeois’ work has oodles of Bindass!